It is recognised that many Players and Umpires look forward to a competitive game of Cricket on a Saturday afternoon and that, wherever possible, the game should take place - in a meaningful form.
It must be recognised that when there is, or has been, rain, the safety of those taking part is of paramount importance.
It must be recognised that when play continues in light rain or drizzle, there will come a point when however plentiful the towels and drying facilities, the ball will become greasy and soapy, the bowlers thereby losing their ability to grip and control it, there will be problems for fieldsmen in trying to stop and field the ball and batsmen will have difficulty in turning or stopping.
It is recognised, above all, that what is required of Umpires in such circumstances is CONSISTENCY. The state of the game, or for that matter the importance of the game, is immaterial and it is the consistent application of the Rules across all matches to which Umpires should aspire.
LAW AND RULES.
The laws of Cricket have, in the case of the Meller Braggins Cheshire Cricket League, been amended by the League's Rule 22 which states -
"...... once the toss has been made, the Umpires shall be the sole judges of the fitness of the ground, weather and light for play"
APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLES AND LAWS/RULES
It is appreciated that the application of the principles and laws/rules mentioned above will be extremely difficult. It is possible here to give a number of specific guidelines but at the same time there is always to be an element that must be left to the Umpire's judgement, bearing in mind the facts before him. It is, and must be, appreciated that some conditions will be governed by circumstances, i.e. Umpires wearing spectacles. However, the following points should be noted -
Under no circumstances should play commence, either at the start of the match or after an interval, when rain is falling. In this instance, play must not begin in light rain or drizzle and should not commence simply because conditions are no worse than before the break took place. This is a situation where judgement is not required and consistency should be paramount.
Once play has commenced it is the indivdual judgement of the Umpires when to actually suspend play but the following guidelines are suggested -
Play can continue in light rain or drizzle but Principle 3 indicated above should be noted. Even if the rain itself becomes no heavier there may become a point where play should be suspended if the conditions indicate in Principle 3 become prevalent.
In the case of steady rain it will depend upon the curcumstances. If the weather has "closed in" and there is no sign of a break it is advisable to wait until the end of the over and then suspend play.
However, if the rain is showery in nature it may be advisable to wait for say two overs before suspending play - particularly if the rain may clear after a short time.
In the case of a heavy downpour, play should be suspended immediately.
In the event of a thunderstorm it is again the judgement of the Umpires when to suspend play, although it is quite often useful to attempt to do this before the storm actually arrives in order that the pitch can be covered. However Umpires must be extremely careful not to suspend play until they are satisfied that the storm will "hit" the cricket ground itself.
CONSISTENCY
It is imperative that we make every attempt to be consistent, in particular in respect of starting play when there is any rain whatsoever falling on the ground. The criteria is not what is reasonable in the terms of one match, but what is reasonable bearing in mind the need to adopt a consistent approach over the whole League programme.
Finally, when there is a suspension of play due to rain, it is imperative that Umpires monitor the weather and are seen to be doing this on a regular basis in order that play can commence, or an inspection of the pitch be made, as soon as the rain ceases.
